They're Baaaaaack!

For those of you who followed this blog from the beginning will be glad to know that there has been a buple sighting! Yes, the bus couple (buple) were on my same bus home the other day. I happened to catch and earlier bus and they sat in front of me, still obviously very "close". I had seen him occasionally in the mornings but I haven't seen her in months. Apparently the relationship is alive and kicking.

A face only a mother could love.

How cool is it to see gas below $1.90 a gallon again? I think it was $1.88 at the gas station I passed on the way home tonight.

This video is unbelievable. It makes me nauseous thinking about what the girl is feeling. This teacher should be fired. And I'd feel the same if it was the other way. Unreal.

It's Awesome Dude

Well, we spent nearly 2 weeks in Ireland and it was great. It was pretty much everything we imagined it would be - beautiful countryside, very nice people, kinda rainy and cool, overall a great time was had. I'll be having some posts on the trip in the future and some pictures as well.

Here is one picture which isn't beautiful landscape, but for obvious reasons it's one of my favorites.




I've stumbled upon a band that I had never heard of before but they've been around for a few years. The name of the band is Winterpills and I'm suddenly obsessed with them. They're kinda folksy, but they have very catchy melodies and beautiful harmonies. I've listened to about 30 of their songs and I think there's been one that I didn't care for. If you haven't heard them it's worth a listen, especially the song "Benediction".

Du-in' the Du

Here is a picture of Julie and our friend Jen after they completed the Iron Girl duathlon on Sunday. Way to go ladies!!

When the Rain Comes

So, today a co-worker and I decide that, since it’s raining, let’s figure out how to take the skyway to our bus stop. He tells me “Paaaat, we can just get on the bus in the Gateway station. It’s huge inside and covered. All the buses are there and we won’t get wet.”

We make our way through the skyway which goes a round-about way, much longer than just taking the streets, but it’s raining out so we decide to sacrifice time to stay dry. His bus leaves 5 minutes before mine so about ¾ of the way there he decides to sprint ahead. That’s cool. No problem. Knock yourself out, I say.

I get to the Gateway station (if that’s what it’s called) and make my way down the stairs, walk through the door, and watch my bus pull out into the rain – making his way to the stop I NORMALLY board at. At this point I look around and see rows of buses waiting to depart, but no people getting ON the buses. Ok, that’s odd, where am I supposed to get on the bus?

At the front of one of the lines is a Southwest bus, but it’s not one that goes to Chaska. I walk up to the door at which point the driver reluctantly opens it and I ask him if people can board the buses here. He informs me “No, you have to board at the first stop. You can’t board here.” Great. So much for staying dry.

Since I missed my usual bus I got on my phone to find out when the next bus is scheduled to leave. After all, I want to minimize my time in the rain as much as possible. By this time it’s pouring outside.

Two minutes later the bus driver I just spoke with yells over to me. I turn around and he’s outside his bus waving me over. He leads me to another Southwest bus and says “This is the bus you want. He stops in Chaska.” I thank him and board the bus, remaining dry the entire time.

So, note to self: You can’t board the bus at Gateway no matter what others tell you, and allow an extra 10 minutes the next time you decide to take the skyway.

Lyric of the Day:
“Can you hear me that when it rains and shines it’s just a state of mind?
Can you hear me? Can you hear me?” – “Rain”, The Beatles

Editors Note: “Rain” by the Beatles is one of their best songs. If you never heard it I recommend watching it here. Most excellent.

Thursday Morning Donut Club

I’ve seen a LOT of ads (billboards, bus signage, bus stop vestibule shelter thingies, etc) that are promoting Meyer’s Cleansers. New? Old? Not familiar.

I like Thursdays. Every Thursday morning at work is Donut Club which consists of everyone that’s in my group and the group that my group is in and the group that that group is in and then the group that that group’s group is in. Get it? Don’t matter. Anyway, we all rotate and take turns bringing in donuts for everyone in the above-mentioned groups.

So every Thursday morning I look forward to sitting in a conference room, eating a donut, and NOT talking about work. That’s one of the rules of Donut Club – no discussions of work. They’ve even gone as far as to provide a list of acceptable donut shops and also ones that are big NO-NO’s. Don’t bring in donuts from a gas station or you will be shot on sight. And, don’t go getting all healthy and bring in things like fruit – also grounds for extermination. Bagels are ok, but that’s pushing the envelope. They must be carb-laden, artery-clogging, lip-smacking pastries from heaven. No exceptions. And God help you if you forget and it’s your day to bring them in. I tell you, this is serious business!!

But another reason I like Thursdays is because it’s Friday Eve, and I really like Fridays. It’s amazing how just being able to wear jeans can have such an impact on one’s disposition. Comfort may not automatically lead to happiness, but it certainly helps. I’m not a big fan of ties, and I know I’m getting no sympathy from you woman who always counter that it’s much worse for you, but I STILL don’t like ties. Target will let you avoid the tie if you wear a red shirt and khakis, the Target uniform if you will. That helps, and some people I think wear red and khaki every single day. That’s cool, but that’s a little too much for me.

Today I have on a red polo and khaki pants, and since I need to go to the store tonight I will definitely change first. I’ve heard stories of other HQ folks, who will stop at a store to do some shopping, wearing their Target shirts and khaki pants, and guests will ask them for help. That’s cool, and I normally don’t have a problem with that, but I’m off the clock. Although, some would say I’m off the clock even when I’m ON the clock. But I digress…

Anyway, bottom line is I like Thursdays and love Fridays. And it’s a pretty good restaurant, too.

Lyric of the day:
"Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin'
If you don't stop drivin' that Hot Rod Lincoln" - "Hot Rod Lincoln", Commander Cody & the Lost Planet Airmen

Old School

The decision to complete an Ironman has pretty much dominated any down time I’ve had over the last couple weeks. As Kimmi can attest that’s been the main crux of our conversations since she crossed that finish line in Madison. But, for those that don’t get it or don’t particularly want to hear about it in another post I’ll try to avoid the subject today. I don’t, however, make any promises.

We purchased a new camera on Friday. We got the Nikon D80 after going back and forth between that and the Canon Rebel XSi. We went to National Camera after work and less than half way through the conversation with the salesman Julie had already glazed over and I’m sure was contemplating ways to extract herself from the situation.

I think we exhausted just about every possible combination of lens and camera body before settling in on our (or my) decision. Cost was the main factor in the decision but I know I couldn’t go wrong either way, which helped.

So, the next time you see me I may have the new toy in hand, and will probably attempt to take your picture without you knowing as I often do. So be prepared, and try to clean yourself up a little. Any bad pictures I’ve ever taken are never MY fault. HA!

The bus has definitely gotten much busier over the last couple months. Sometimes it’s standing room only so I try to catch the bus at one of the first stops downtown on the way home so I get my pick of seats in which to be trapped for the 30 minute ride home. I need my space, people!!!

Julie has her Iron Girl Duathlon this Sunday in Bloomington. She is ready to rock it. She’s been going to a new clinic/chiropractor that is really helping her with the aches and pains she’s had during training. I believe I’ll be going there soon as well to have them help me with my shin splints and other aggravations.

But back to my point, if you’re looking for something to do Sunday morning and you have that uncontrollable itch to scream and dress in wacky clothing (not optional!!) then stop down and cheer our girl on! She’d love to have you.

Julie ordered us some trainers and they were delivered this week. Sweet! Now we can train on our own bikes this winter. We’ll be converting the basement bedroom into a spin room and equipping it with a TV/DVD so we can watch Spinerval DVDs. I hear they can be tough workouts.

Check out this post from Jon’s blog about his daughter. What an amazing girl, or, as Jon says, an amazing little lady.

Give me your thoughts? Do you like the random posts or the more personal, more in-depth posts? Just curious.

Lyric of the Day:
“Stood alone on a mountain top starin’ out at the great divide
I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin’ and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon my heart was singin’” – “Roll Me Away”, Bob Seger

P.S. One of my favorite songs of all time. Awesome.

Dear Friends, New Links

Thanks to everyone who has offered their congratulations to my decision to do an Ironman, and thanks to those who think I’m crazy. I think the jury is still out and the truth is probably somewhere in between.

I’ve made some changes to the blog, mainly with the addition of several new blogs which are now linked to the right. These are all very good friends and fellow TNT alum who have been blogging for a while but I haven’t taken the time to link them. Very entertaining blogs that are worth the read.

We have Marc whom I first met last year when he signed up for the Lake Tahoe century ride through TNT. He’d be the first to say he’s a big man, but will also be the first to tell you he’s getting smaller! He completed that century ride, has since done the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, and has begun to train for his triathlon, which will make him a fellow triple crowner! As you’ll see TNT has changed his life as it has for so many of us. He’s an inspiration to say the least.

We also now have Jon linked. He joined TNT I believe back in 2006 when he trained and completed the Phoenix Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. He’s since moved on to triathlons and I believe a century ride is soon in his future – right Jon? A dry sense of humor and smashing good looks - much like me. Check him out as well.

Kris’ blog is also now linked. Kris has done many events with TNT, most recently the Lake Tahoe century ride this past June. Or was it Life Time in July? Or the Twin Cities Marathon coming up in 3 weeks? You get the point. She’s a TNT and endurance event addict, and has signed up to do the Ironman Wisconsin in 2009, so you can follow her struggles and victories as she makes the Ironman journey. Another dear friend.

Misty. Boy, how do I describe Misty? She’s a freaking ball of energy, a tremendous spirit, a wicked sense of humor, a big heart, a hockey player and a black belt. I’m sure I left out some stuff, but if you’ve met her you’ll know how hard it is to nail this woman down. She also first joined TNT in 2007 for the Lake Tahoe Century Ride and has since become a coach for the cycling program. She’s now training for her first marathon which will be in Phoenix in January. She wears her heart on her sleeve and on her blog, so be sure to check her out as well. Oh, and she’s single. :-)

They’re all fantastic people and dear friends to Julie and me. I know I’ve probably mentioned this a million times on the pages of this blog, but the people we’ve met through TNT have become the dearest of friends. Rarely, very rarely, do you meet someone through this program that you wouldn’t want to hang out with, to lean on, to call “friend”. If you’ve ever considered doing an endurance event through TNT I promise you that you’ll get out of it way more than you put in. It’s not even close.

Flying Without a Plane

Over the weekend I had the good fortune of seeing both Kimmi and Rachel again. Both, as I’ve already told you, are newly crowned Ironmen. And in the back of my mind I’ve toyed very lightly with the idea of doing an Ironman myself. VERY LIGHTLY.

And that started last year when Julie and I watched Safety Bob and Coach Mike complete their Ironman races, also in Madison. But, as I said, the thought of doing one myself was only lightly entertained. That all changed last weekend when Julie and I witnessed the event firsthand.

As I sat down with Kimmi on Saturday it was obvious she was still on an emotional high and rightly so. I started picking her brain about all things Ironman, and it became even more solidified in my mind that this is something I too wanted to add to my endurance resume.

One thing that Kimmi highly recommended to me was that I keep a journal of my daily experiences, documenting the highs and lows which will be taking place over the next 24 months. I plan to do just that, and some of it I’m sure will appear on this very site.

Today I had an IM conversation with Kimmi, whom, along with the aforementioned Ironmen, I will be continually leaning on for inspiration, advice and support. I mentioned to her that only two months ago I was incredibly happy that I was only doing the sprint distance at Life Time and now I’m making a commitment to complete a half Ironman in 2009 and a full Ironman in 2010. Boy, how things change!

During our conversation I sent out my TNT Quote of the Day and as I searched for the right quote I saw a number of quotes that took on even more meaning now that I’ve made his commitment. One of them is below. This quote really made me think about what Kimmi and Rachel must have been feeling on race day and what they’re still feeling. They both appear to be on cloud nine, and you can’t remove the smile from their faces if you tried.

“It is the greatest shot of adrenaline to be doing what you’ve wanted to do so badly. You almost feel like you could fly without the plane.” – Charles Lindbergh

I sent the quote to Kimmi and asked for her thoughts. This was her response. “That's a pretty good idea of what it feels like - and how I felt the entire day out there. It wasn't that I was racing - it's that I was truly living for an entire day.”

Sometimes, and not very often, one gets so much adrenaline or endorphins or such a high that it's like your body is straining to contain your spirit - an almost out of body experience. That's what I picture it will be like when I cross that finish line in Madison. I want to do this, to push myself like I’ve never been pushed before. Quite frankly I’m scared to death thinking about it, but I can’t wait to experience it.

Women of Iron, Part 2

This past weekend Julie and drove to Madison to surprise Kimmi and Rachel and to cheer them on as they completed Ironman Wisconsin. The weekend was incredible and I’m proud to say that Kimmi and Rachel are now IRONMEN!!! Congratulations again, ladies!!

We got into town late Saturday afternoon and met up with them at dinner. I was amazed at how calm they were considering the next day they’d be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and finishing with a 26.2 mile full marathon! I think I would be a nervous wreck and not be able to eat, but they were very much in control.

Saturday morning we got up a little after 4AM to allow us enough time to drive into downtown Madison and find a place to park. We ran into Kimmi and Rachel as they were making last minute preparations for the race. The anticipation and excitement was more evident and I tried to put myself in their shoes. I remember how nervous Julie and I were before our first Olympic distance triathlon and yet they had nerves of steel.

We met up with the rest of the folks who traveled down to cheer them on. We went down to the waters edge and watched as the athletes slowly made their way into the lake. The starting line for the swim is actually out in the water – they don’t run into the lake to start the swim – so they have to swim out about 50 yards and tread water while they waited for the canon to go off signaling the start of the race. Some people were standing near the shoreline and didn’t go in until the start, which is just what I would do. Swimming 2.4 miles will be hard enough without treading water for 5 minutes first.

The swim course is a 1.2 mile lap that they do twice. Watching from the shore it looked like a washing machine as all you could see were arms flailing and water flying. According to K & R it’s pretty brutal for the first ½ mile or so as people try to get position. Kim said she was kicked in the face and her goggles were pushed to the side so she had to swim with one eye open until she could get to a place where she could fix it. You’re definitely kicked and punched (not intentionally) as most of the swimmers try to get into position. That’s exactly the reason I would swim to the outside and get away from all the competitive swimmers, but that’s just me.

Once they started the swim the rest of us went to breakfast and grabbed some sandwiches to go. We headed back to the transition area and cheered on K & R as they ran to their bikes. It’s pretty cool how it all works. When they get out of the water there are volunteers there who help them get out of their wetsuits. They yank it off you and hand it to you as you enter the back of the hotel (I think it’s a hotel, or a conference center, heck, I don’t know.) to pick up your first transition bag, move to a ballroom, and they help you change into your bike gear. They have volunteers that slap sunscreen on you and when you get out to your bike they have another volunteer who is holding your bike for you. Pretty slick.

After K & R had started the ride we jumped on a shuttle that took us to the bike course. The bike also has a loop that the athletes have to ride twice around. We were at a spot in that loop – at mile 56 on the first loop and around mile 96 on the second loop. There were concession stands, race officials who where announcing riders as they passed by, and food/water “stops” for the cyclists. In essence the volunteers hold out bottles of water or Gatorade for the cyclists to grab as they ride by; and other volunteers will hold out pieces of bananas, Powerbars or gels for riders to take. They also had a designated spot for riders to throw their empty bottles – a hockey net for them to aim for and a kid standing there with a hockey stick to direct the errant tosses. It was definitely fun to watch.

We got to see them both twice at that section and after they passed us the second time we jumped back on the shuttle to head over to the run course. When the athletes head back in and transition from the bike to the run they head back into the same changing area they were in for the first transition. They have a separate transition bag that K & R each provide that will have everything they may want for the marathon – complete change of clothes, Body Glide, etc. Volunteers are there as well to help them change and re-apply sunscreen before they head out to the run.

The fan support on the marathon course was great and from what we could see fans were lining the course to cheer everyone on. The course is two loops, with the turnaround point at mile 13.1 and within sight of the finish line, which I would think would be mentally tough to handle. We saw K & R right at the start of the run and at miles 6.5, 12.5, 14, and 19. At mile 19 the separation between Rachel and Kimmi was about 50 minutes so we decided the support group should split up – one group heading forward to cheer Rachel on as she crossed the finish line and one group to stay and support Kimmi.

Rachel crossed the finish line at just under 14 hours and Kimmi came in at just over 15 hours. They both did awesome!! Every time we saw them they were smiling and taking in the moment. It was the culmination of months of hard work and training, and they also fundraised to support Janus and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We are all so proud of what they have accomplished!!

Julie and I decided to stay around to the end of the race. Midnight is the cut-off time which is 17 hours. There was still a great, energetic crowd there until the very end. Many were Ironmen who had already crossed the finish line and they were staying to see the last ones finish. There was an announcer there who walked up and down the finish chute and would call out the names of the finishers as they crossed the finish line. Music was playing loudly and everyone was dancing and cheering the finishers on.

At 11:45 PM they announced that there were a half dozen people still out there and they had folks out there with them helping and encouraging them to cross the finish line before midnight. As each minute passed the excitement and anticipation would grow, and you couldn’t help but feel the electricity in the air. Three people crossed the finish line between 11:59 and midnight, with the last person crossing at 11:59:56, with 4 seconds to spare. The crowd was going crazy and you could feel the emotions that were being expressed by these amazing individuals as they came down the chute, knowing that they had accomplished their goal, and were going to be part of an elite group of people known as Ironmen.

I can’t explain how amazing it was to be there in person to witness it. Julie and I watched the finish line on our computer last year but nothing compares to being there in person. Absolutely incredible.

We are so proud of you both, Kimmi and Rachel, for having accomplished this amazing feat of endurance, for pushing yourself to your limits, for believing in yourself and trusting your abilities, and for crossing that finish line. Congratulations!!!

On the day after the race they open up registration for the next year’s event. Typically it will sell out within hours, and next year we have 4 more friends who will be doing Ironman Wisconsin – Dana, Kris, Becca and Sean. We’ll be there to cheer them on and support them, and who knows? You might see a familiar face in line for Ironman 2010…

Women of Iron

So much to blog on and I haven’t had the time to do it lately, and I’m not sure how much uninterrupted time I’ll have here so this may be short despite my best efforts.

Item 1: We have two dear friends who will be completing the Iron Man in Madison this Sunday. Unfortunately, we won’t be there to cheer them on in person but we plan to follow them on line. Kim and Rachel are both TNT alumni and awesome people. It’s amazing to think they’ll be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles, and then running a full marathon!!! Incredible. You go girls!! And smile for the camera and wave to us when you cross the finish line. I’m going to try and figure out how to record you crossing the finish line on my computer so you can see what we see. It was cool watching Bob cross last year, but we missed Mike. If the rest of you out there would like to follow along just visit www.ironmanlive.com and watch the live webcast. Too cool.

Item 2: Did you watch Sarah Palin’s speech last night? Wow. She has really impressed me in so many ways. I think it’s really going to be an interesting election this year and a close contest.

Item 3: Julie will be completing the Iron Girl Duathlon on Sunday, September 21^st here in Bloomington. She is still short of her fundraising goal. If you would like to donate please visit her TNT site listed at the right. You can come cheer her on as well. The site for the event is http://www.irongirl.com/Events/Bloomington.htm. You can also support Julie’s fundraising efforts by buying dinner tickets to our annual Gasthoff dinner and silent auction which will be held on Sunday, September 14^th. Tickets are $25 each and include an all-you-can-eat German dinner buffet. Great deal, great items to bid on, great cause. You can email me at patrickgibsontnt@gmail.com if you’d like tickets.

Item 4: Julie and I headed out for some outdoor fun this passed weekend and she snapped this picture of me. What fun!

Item 5: I can’t believe we’re already into September. Where the heck did the summer go? It’s already getting cooler out and the days really seem to be getting shorter. This year has just flown by.

Lyric of the Day (for our future Iron Man finishers):
“I rolled on as the sky grew dark
I put the pedal down to make some time
There’s something good waiting down this road
I’m picking up whatever is mine” – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, Tom Petty

Joe Bad the Nomad

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of taking a city bus to and from work. This isn’t the first time I’ve ridden the city bus, but it doesn’t happen that often. For the public-transportation-challenged I ride one of the bus lines from the suburbs, and from what I’ve heard, the Southwest buses are the best. But, I digress…

I’m sitting near the front of the bus on the way home and we’re still in downtown. I’m in one of those seats where your back is to the side of the bus. It was crowded and there was standing room only, and right in front of me was a “gentleman” probably in his late 40’s, a little disheveled looking, dark rings under his beady eyes, thinning hair, sunglasses and an army surplus coat.

As he’s standing there his phone rings. Normally, not a problem. Most people will turn off their cell phones at that point. They may or may not answer it, but most will keep the conversation brief and quiet. MOST will. But this nomad (we’ll call him Joe Bad the Nomad) was not most people.

He loudly answers his phone and begins a colorful conversation with what appears to be his dealer. Joe Bad wants the same “stuff” he bought from his dealer last month, and he wants his entire supply. Joe Bad relays the fact that he’s on the bus and heading over and will discuss the “details of the transaction” when he departs.

Before our 20 minute ride was over he had received no less than 4 more calls and they all appeared to be in the same vein as the first conversation. Such a colorful world.

Lyric of the Day:
“One little problem that confronts you
Got a monkey on your back
Just one more fix, Lord might do the trick
One hell of a price for you to get your kicks” – “That Smell”, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Smells Like Beef

So, there was this dude who like totally dropped off the face of the earth (well, ok, not literally) for a long time and when he came home, his father had his finest cow slaughtered in celebration of his return. I’m assuming beef will be served shortly.

Yeah, it’s been a while, huh? (Insert sounds of crickets here.) Back to playing to an empty room – just me and the janitor guy from Billy Joel’s music video for “For The Longest Time”. Or was he in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”?

Anyway, no excuses here for the lack of a posting over the last 15 years, but I will say I’ve been quite busy. And there is so much to say!

Many of you know (or both of you depending on how many still blow the dust off the blog by paying a visit – and what does “paying a visit” mean anyway? Does one have only X number of visits and they use up one to come read this drivel? I digress…) Where was I? Oh yeah, so both of you know I participated in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon on Saturday, July something-or-other. I did the sprint distance this year and it went swimmingly. HA! Get it? Swimmingly. I improved on both my swim and bike pace and was the same on the run. I would have improved there as well if it wasn’t for developing a blister from my brand new kicks. I guess it’s true when they tell us to not try anything new on race day. Whodathunk?

If you were one of the many who donated to help me raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society then I thank you! I surpassed my goal with your help! Julie is still fundraising for her duathlon, so if you haven’t yet donated and would like to do so please visit her web page linked on the right side of this web page. That would be my left, your right, because you know I’m watching you through your computer screen. Hi! But seriously, we appreciate your support as we try to further the Society’s mission. Thank you!

Lyric of the Day:

“Seulement entre toi et moi, Means that our love will always be just between you and me” – “Just Between You and Me”, April Wine

Parrots, Wrestling, Vandalism, Piglets & Sextuplets

Just some fun stuff today. Enjoy!

Parrot? Check. Twine? Check.

Me after one of my high school wrestling matches.

OK, weird story, but looking at the mug shots these are two women I don't think I'd want to double-cross!!

What do you say to this one? I really don't know.

And what would be on your list of things to do after giving birth to sextuplets?

The Mad Hatter

Did you watch any of the US Open? I only saw Tiger’s putt yesterday on 18 to send it to a playoff, but what a putt it was. He is such a tremendous athlete. Some people don’t like that he’s dominated golf so much, but just think how 30 years from now you can tell kids how you saw Tiger Woods play. Definitely one of the best golfers ever, and we get to watch him live.

Friday night the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society had their Man & Woman of the Year Gala. Julie and I were again in charge of compiling all the information from both the silent and the live auctions. We had about 10 candidates (I think 5 men and 5 women) competing and over the 10 weeks the campaign ran they raised $200,000 and counting! Incredible!

I want to buy a hat, not a baseball cap or some novelty hat or a cowboy hat, but a hat nonetheless. Perhaps something to wear when driving, or hanging out by the pool, something cool. Julie is against the idea and probably for good reason. Feel free to send me any suggestions you may have.

Julie and I couldn’t believe the news that Tim Russert had died. Everything I’ve read and seen has confirmed that he was really a great guy. It was a feeling I know I always got when I watched him. He was so passionate about politics and offered great insight and really broke things down. I’ve been wanting to get his books and read them, especially “Big Russ and Me” which is about his relationship with his father. Now I really want to get it.

I think it would be cool to be a locomotive engineer. That’s the guy that drives the train, right? That seems like it would be a cool job. I always wonder where the tracks go, what do they see. Fascinating.

Here is a picture of me standing with my first truck.

Isn’t it ironic? So, with the fuel prices being as high as they are more and more people are either taking the bus or are thinking about it. Well, I get on the bus today and am handed a piece of paper detailing how, due to rising fuel costs, they are eliminating some stops, routes and scheduled runs. Why? Because of the rising fuel costs. Is it ironic? I mean, it’s not like it’s a black fly in your Chardonnay, but hey, it seems ironic to me.

Lyric of the Day:
"Gliddy Glub Gloopy
Nibby Nabby Noopy
La la la lo lo
Sabba Sibby Sabba
Nooby abba nabba
Le le lo lo
Tooby ooby walla
Nooby abba nabba
Early morning singing song."
- "Good Morning Starshine", Oliver

Some Good Reading

Just a quick post this morning. I've been reading a lot of really good columns lately and wanted to quickly put some links out here so you can read them if you want. More to come later. Have a great day!

Offshore Drilling

Windfall Profits

Gas Prices

All The World Loves Alice

Short post – mind is blank…

One of the coolest things is to see the sun poking through the clouds off in the distance. You can see the rays of sun flowing down beneath the clouds. Pretty cool.

Torrential – I like that word. And Poppycock.

I think the bus couple (the “buple”) is a couple no more. She hasn’t been on the bus for close to a month now, but he still rides. A couple of months ago I thought I saw her one morning running from her car to his so they could sit together waiting for the bus. They definitely seemed to be “together” but I don’t think they are married to each other. Hmmmm, I say.

Bernie Taupin wrote nearly all the lyrics for Elton John’s songs while Elton wrote the music. Obviously, they are one of the best songwriting duos over the last 40 years. I wonder, tho, if Elton ever writes lyrics, or if Bernie ever writes music. I also am curious if the words come first (which I think they do in most cases) and, if so, does Bernie ever listen to the finished song and think “I never imagined that song as a ballad” or “Those were great lyrics and the music stinks!” Just curious.

Lyric of the Day: “Don’t discard me” – “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”, Elton John

Let It Ride?

I’ve found a few cool videos on YouTube over the last month or so.

This video is of an animal called the Lyre Bird. This bird has an incredible knack for impersonations. A must see.

This next video is an acoustic cover of Outkast’s “Hey Ya”. You might think an acoustic version of a hip-hop song wouldn’t work. Think again.

Have lung, will hack.

So KQRS, a classic rock radio station here in the Twin Cities, had their annual Memorial Day countdown of the top 500 songs of all time. Let’s just say the list was a joke. There were a few songs I agreed with, but to say that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” isn’t in the top 100 is blasphemous!! Some top 10 songs that shouldn’t have been in there -Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “Let It Ride” (maybe in the CANADIAN top 10), Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (it’s really his best song? No way) – great songs they both are but c’mon, top 10??? Call me when you have a REAL top 10.

Ok, so here a few songs I can think of that are top 10 worthy, but there are others:
The Beatles – “A Day in the Life”
Rolling Stones – “Satisfaction”
Lynyrd Skynrd – “Free Bird”
Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven” (Should be #1)
Bruce Springsteen – “Born to Run”
Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone”
The Who – “My Generation”
The Eagles – “Hotel California” (at least Top 20)
Aerosmith – “Dream On”
Partridge Family – “I Think I Love You” (OK, just seeing if you’re paying attention)
Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Pink Floyd – “Comfortably Numb”
Derek & The Dominoes – “Layla”
Eric Clapton – “Cocaine”

Honorable Mentions:
The Who – “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Baba O’Riley”
The Beatles – “Come Together”, “Hey Jude”
Aerosmith – “Sweet Emotion”
ZZ Top – “Cheap Sunglasses”
CSNY – “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”
Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing”
Fleetwood Mac – “Go Your Own Way”
Rod Stewart – “Maggie May”
Stevie Wonder – “Superstition”
The Doors – “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
Rolling Stones – “Sympathy For The Devil”

Lyric of the Day: “Remember when I was so strange and likeable?” – “Back In Your Head”, Tegan and Sara

Memorial Day

Thank you to all who have fought and sacrificed and continue to fight in service to this great country. Let us never forget.

“And I’m proud to be an American,
Where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.” – Lee Greenwood

‘The patriot’s blood is the seed of Freedom’s tree.” – Thomas Campbell

“Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.”
~Will Carleton

“We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.” – Francis A. Walker

“Freedom is never free.” – Unknown

Lyric of the Day: “Find the cost of freedom buried in the ground. Mother Earth will swallow you, lay your body down.” – “Find the Cost of Freedom”, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

I Keep My Feathers Numbered

I love holiday weekends. Getting that extra day off doesn’t seem like it would be that big a deal but everyone looks forward to it. No sleeping in on Monday, tho. The Tahoe team gets their bikes picked up at the LLS office I think at 7:30 or 8 in the morning. The bikes will be wrapped in a blanket and loaded on to a semi. Bikes from multiple chapters will be on the same truck as it makes its way to Lake Tahoe for next weekend’s ride.

I’ve noticed that the seats on the right hand side of the bus (when sitting down) have a couple more inches of leg room, I believe because there is one less row of seats – to accommodate for wheelchairs. Don’t tell anyone else who rides my bus that, or they’ll sit their first. And I’ll be sad.

So we have an evergreen tree out our front door that stands about 10-12 feet tall. For the last couple of years a robin has built her nest in that tree – about 4 feet off the ground. Typically the girls leave the birds alone or are oblivious to the fact that they’re even there… until the last week or so.

We usually let the girls out the front door, they’ll sniff around the tree, we’ll tell them “no”, they’ll go away and do their business, no problems. Well, apparently yesterday while the girls were a few feet away from the tree the mother bird decides she’s going to fly out of the tree. The two baby birds decide to follow her (the first time we’ve seen them fly) and Gracie grabs it in mid flight.

I was at work so Julie was by herself, and she doesn’t do so well in these situations – her dog standing there with a live bird in its mouth. Julie gets Gracie to drop the bird, at which point the mother and father are quite upset and other robins join in the ruckus. Before she knows it, a dead bird is on the ground, angry birds or flying overhead and dive-bombing the dogs, and Julie is frantically trying to get them into the house. She calls me at work and notifies me that there is a bird killer in the family and a dead bird waiting for me when I get home. Wonderful.

Although, I do get a chuckle picturing Gracie with feathers flying out of her mouth, like in the cartoons. But unlike in the cartoons, the bird didn’t get out alive this time. “Fortunately, I keep my feathers numbered, for just such an emergency.” – Foghorn Leghorn

Lyric of the Day: “Everyone’s a Captain Kirk” – “99 Red Balloons”, Nena

My Tinctured Egress

Wow, has it been crazy. Does anyone even bother to come to this blog anymore? Well, I guess I’ll find out. If you still check this on a regular or somewhat regular basis then I apologize for your wasted time and thank you for still showing an interest. It has been WAAAYYY too long. I promise to update more often.

I can’t really come up with any other reason for it having been so long other than I’ve been either very busy or sick. I had been writing my posts while on the bus (which is what I’m doing now) but I’ve been using that time lately to get caught up on other things, including sleep. Although I don’t sleep on the bus - perhaps just “rest the eyes” - but it does seem to help.

We kicked off the fall season last week. This year Julie has the Twin Cities Marathon and the Dublin Marathon. So cool. We have an incredible team assembled for Dublin – awesome people who are a blast to hang out with. Like I was telling the other TNT folk this is going to be an event that will be talked about for a long time. If you haven’t signed up yet I strongly urge you to. It’s going to be great! And it’s in DUBLIN!!!

When you were in grade school did you have something on your playground that looked like a big funnel on top of a pole? There would be 4 or 5 chutes coming out of the bottom of the funnel, each numbered and a different color. You and your friends would each stand under one of the chutes and then throw a basketball or playground ball into the top of the funnel and see who’s chute it would come out of – or out of who’s chute the ball would come – or anticipate the emergence of the sphere whilst gazing upon your pre-chosen enumerated, tinctured egress tube. Where was I going with this?

Lyric of the day: “Did you ever read about a frog who dreamed of bein’ a king… and then became one? Well, except for the names and a few other changes, if you talk about me, the story’s the same one.” – “I Am… I Said”, Neil Diamond

In Memory of McKenna

Hello family and friends,

When we decided to train for another Team In Training (TNT) event and fundraise for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) we sat down and thought about what motivates us to continue doing this. After all, we’ve done this all before – the training, the events, the fundraising – and we know none of it is easy. Why do it again? The answer is simple: because of a little girl named McKenna.

McKenna was diagnosed with Ki-1, Anaplastic Large T-Cell Lymphoma (ALCL), a rare form of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, when she was just 2 ½ years old. On McKenna’s Caring Bridge site Christa, her amazing mother, recently told the story of those first few days of McKenna’s diagnosis.

“On March 6th, our nightmare truly became a reality. I was in the hospital room with McKenna, who was sitting up in her bed watching TV. The phone rang at noon. Dr. Sexton said ‘Mrs. Johnson, are you there alone or is anybody with you?’ I explained that I was the only one there with McKenna. She said ‘You need to sit down for what I am about to tell you.’ I sat immediately, clutching the phone, tears already welling up in my eyes, face turned away from McKenna. She said, ‘McKenna has Lymphoma....it's cancer. I know of a great oncologist, whom I went to medical school with, and I have already referred McKenna to him. They are waiting for you at the St. Paul Children's Hospital. When you get there you need to park in the Red ramp and go straight to hospital admitting......’ I remember this phone call and the feelings I was going through as if it was just yesterday. However, my recollection of what I may have actually said is completely a blur. I just know she called, she told me, and before I was off the phone, the nurses were already in the room packing up our stuff for a quick transfer.”

For the next 7 ½ years McKenna bravely fought her cancer and after receiving her second bone marrow transplant from her sister Jadyn she contracted RSV and was readmitted to the hospital. On McKenna’s 10th birthday she could no longer breathe on her own and was intubated and put on an oscillator. Just a few weeks later, on her mother’s birthday, McKenna grew her angel wings.

We attended her funeral and even though we hardly knew this beautiful, strong little girl we were heartbroken. Never have the words to “Jesus Loves Me” touched us so deeply. We can’t even begin to understand what it must be like for a parent to lose a child. On the one-month anniversary of McKenna’s passing her mother wrote the following on the Caring Bridge site:

“McKenna - Happy 1-Month Anniversary of being cancer-free, of being free from tubes, doctors, needles, procedures, surgeries, hospital rooms, waiting rooms, cancer, RSV, vomiting, diarrhea, radiation, radiation burns, chemotherapy, IV poles, oxygen masks, ventilators and oscillators, blisters, blood and platelet transfusions, bloody noses, dialysis, catheters, eczema, allergies, swallowing dozens of pills each day, bruises, pain, sadness and fear. You truly are free and nobody deserved it more than you, sweet girl! McKenna Girl, Drama Queen, Princess, Boo Boo...we love you sweetie and we miss you so much! You will always be with us, in our hearts and on our minds, every single day for the rest of our lives. We look forward to the day when we'll be able to hug and kiss you again and pinch your cute little butt! You were a wonderful daughter and sister. You were always so spunky, feisty, sweet, loving, caring and funny! Thank you for blessing our family with 10 years of your beautiful spirit and for all that you have taught us along the way. We are ALL better people because you lived. You showed us what courage, strength, hope, love and faith are all about. You NEVER gave up. We will never forget..... Til we meet again sweet girl, keep singing with those angels.”

We are always inspired by the amazing spirit, determination and love for life that cancer patients have. They have every reason to be angry and bitter about their situation and yet they are the most courageous and loving people you will meet. And they are why we continue to do this, why we train, why we fundraise. McKenna may have lost her battle but we will do what we can to continue the fight for her.

If this letter and McKenna’s story motivate you to donate then we thank you. If they motivate you to volunteer with LLS or any other worthy cause then fantastic. If they inspire you to join TNT in the future then we can’t wait for you to join us. If they motivate you to step back and count your blessings then we're thankful. For us, McKenna’s story does all of the above.

For McKenna and all the others who have lost their battle and for the countless others who are fighting today we ask for your donation; not for us, but for them. If you have donated in the past please know that we thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and we thank you again for your time and your generosity.

Thank you,

Julie & Patrick

Links to McKenna's Caring bridge site and to our fundraising web sites are below and also on the right hand side of the page.

Julie's Fundraising Site
Patrick's Fundraising Site

Randomidity of the Postacious Content

Long time, no write. Things have been beyond busy, as I’m sure they are for everyone. Anyone sick of the snow yet? Let’s get some spring-like temps for cryin’ out loud!!! Enough already!

I’ve decided to not do so many random posts. I don’t mean randomly do the posts, but random in terms of content. I guess they can be a bit too scattered at times, so I’ve decided I’ll do a random-content post randomly, as I feel the urge. I was going to say that every Tuesday or every Friday would be random post day, but I figured that would go against the very fiber and essence of the randomidity (huh?) of the postacious content. (Say what?)

I’ve read two very good columns lately which I have linked below. One is entitled “Why I Am a Conservative” and the other is “Conservatives Really Are More Compassionate”. The first one I think really describes me and frames issues better than I could. They’re both short columns.

Why I Am a Conservative

Conservatives Really Are More Compassionate

I’m curious what the political persuasions are of you folks – the ones that read this blog on a regular or semi-regular basis. I’m betting it’s fairly evenly split. I’m not asking what your leanings are, just more of a curiosity on my part. I used to work with a guy at Eaton that I would get into political debates with which were always fun. Miss that.

Lyric of the Day: "Good times never seemed so good." - "Sweet Caroline", Neil Diamond

Good Friday

O Sacred Head now wounded
With grief and shame weighed down.
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns Thine only crown.
How art Thou pale with anguish
With sore abuse and scorn.
How dost that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn.

What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee dearest friend
For this Thy dying sorrow
Thy pity without end?
Oh make me Thine forever
And should I fainting be
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to Thee.

"O Sacred Head", Amy Grant

Yumlicious!

Westbound

Julie took me to Ike’s restaurant last night for my birthday. Very good food and I ate way too much. We each got the NY Strip which was very good, and then split a chocolate cake with extra ice cream for dessert. EXCELLENT chocolate cake. Yumlicious!

Most likely, by the time you read this post, we’ll know if we actually got any of the snow they’re predicting. Last I saw we’re now under a winter storm warning. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Looks like the Bombay Bistro isn’t open.

Julie got me some meat rubs for the grill and a barbecue brush that has a reservoir in the handle that pumps sauce through the brush when you need it. Pretty cool! Now to get some meat and start grilling again!

I LOVE hearing people hack up a lung on the bus. Ain’t nuthin’ sweeter.

I sometimes think it would be cool to work on a construction site. I’d want to be on terra firma, so no iron work on a skyscraper, but something like a dump truck driver would be cool.

Man, what an ugly green car.

In all seriousness, probably one of the best hours to listen to radio is Fridays from noon until 1PM CST. Dennis Prager, one of my favorite radio hosts, devotes an entire hour to happiness. Rather fittingly it’s called the Happiness Hour and I highly recommend that you listen to it if you can. Dennis happens to think, and he makes a valid point, that the most important thing you can do is be happy, and it’s really intriguing to listen to the topic that week and understand how it impacts your happiness. He’s on AM1280 here in the Twin Cities and you can listen to him on line as well. It’s not at all political, it’s just about how to be a happier person.

OK, now back to the frivolity…

I would really hate to live along a highway. They put those walls up but how much do they really keep the sound down? I wonder.

Lyric of the day: “Call the police / There’s a madman around” – “West End Girls”, Pet Shop Boys

Bonus lyric: “You think you’re mad, too unstable, kicking in chairs and knocking down tables.”

Weirdly White and Nerdy

Eastbound

We’re having this American Idol challenge at work where we have to pick the bottom three vote-getters each week along with who we think will be voted off. Since Tuesday nights are usually spin I’m not able to watch the shows, so I’ve retained the counsel of my friend J-Flo to help me with my picks. Thanks, J-Flo!

They say it’s your birthday. It’s my birthday, too, yeah!

Julie was saying she heard possibly 4-8” of snow on Friday. Or this weekend. Or sometime in the next few days – I don’t remember. What’s up with that? Where was this back in January when it SHOULD have been snowing? Although, I’m not so sure why I’m getting upset about it, the weather folks are wrong 90% of the time anyway.

Calvin and Hobbes is such a great cartoon. That and Far Side. Funny stuff right there, let me tell ya’!

“Pizza… burgers… San Diego… Detroit Tigers… the Buckeyes… peanut butter and jelly…” “Uhhhh… THINGS PAT LIKES!!!” “Correct!”

If you haven’t seen the YouTube video of Weird Al’s song “White and Nerdy” you HAVE to watch it. Hilarious! Click here to see it.

Lyric of the day: “Sweeter than cotton candy / Stronger than papa’s old brandy / Always that needed smile / Once in a while she would break down and cry” – “Sadie”, Spinners (Editor’s note: “Sadie” is a great song. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing it you should definitely look it up.)

Bonus lyric (also from “Sadie”): “If there’s a heaven up above / I know she’s teaching angels how to love”

Double the Trees

Eastbound

…and that is how I became known as George.

I was going to write an entire blog post backwards but I couldn’t reach the keyboard.

If some biological freak of nature occurred and all languages were wiped clean from the earth how would we create a new language? You know, like in Men In Black where you look at their little pen deal and it makes you forget things, what if something like that happened and we had no memories of verbal communication and couldn’t read or write? Would the “new” language we create be at all similar to what we had? I think this topic is deserving if its own post. The questions and possibilities are endless. Endless I tell you!

I like Fig Newtons. Just the plain old Fig Newtons, not all the different flavors and what not.

And what not. An interesting way to end a sentence or thought, and what does it mean? I like how it sounds and what not. It just seems to tie up a sentence well, and yet, I’m not really sure what I’m saying… and what not.

Speaking of names, Delano is one you don’t hear much anymore.

Just call me Angel of the Morning.

When I was a kid we lived a few houses down from this really great family. The mother and father of that family were like a second set of parents to me – we were quite close. I remember going down to their house and the father, whom I called Daddy M, would come outside in the morning with some burnt toast that he was eating for breakfast. He would try to get me to eat it by telling me that eating burnt toast puts hair on your chest. At which point I would come to a couple of conclusions: 1) he must eat a lot of burnt toast, and 2) why would I WANT a hairy chest?

That maid from “The Jeffersons” was a hoot!

Wesbound

The bus driver will announce the stop he’s coming up to in case you want to get off the bus. When we’re downtown he announces every cross street – 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, etc. If I was the bus driver I think I’d skip a street every once in a while just to panic people. “4^th…. 5^th… 7^th… just kidding! 6^th…”

So, was the first Doubletree hotel opened next to a hotel that only had ONE tree? “You get DOUBLE the trees at OUR hotel!”

Can I be Frank with you? I need someone to Jimmy the lock because I lost my key. I better be careful or they’ll call Adam 12 and then the landlord will Sue me for damages. I suppose I could just call my landlord and maybe he’d Grant me temporary access. I must have accidentally threw my keys away when I acted on the decision to Chuck my empty water bottle into the river. It did Bob for a while before it sank. I imagine if I DID find my keys they’ll be Rusty now. Oh well. I guess I’ll just go get a cup of Joe.

And before he leaves downtown he usually says “This is 696 express to Chaska blah blah blah.” I think I would throw something in there like “Albuquerque” or “Memphis”.

Lyric of the day: “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” – “Mmm Mmm Mmm”, Crash Test Dummies

The Byerly's Euphoria

Eastbound

We have a different bus driver on this snowy St. Patrick’s Day. A woman who got on the bus behind me asked the driver why she didn’t stop at the last pick-up point. Ooops.

May all your lights be green.

So…. Snow. Normally I like snow, but in the middle of March not so much. It’s time for spring, by golly. We’re itching to get the bikes out and be done with spinning in a small, hot spin room. Hopefully by the end of the month we’ll be able to do that.

Of course, some people ride their bikes year-round. Eric, who was our coach for our century ride in 2006, puts a few thousand miles a year on his bike and rides it everywhere. He’s one of those guys that is built to ride a bike. That’s not me. I’m more built to ride in a car. Or the bus.

Euphoria: A simple change to which syllable you emphasize and it’s what Danny DeVito would ask the voters regarding his wife Rhea Pearlman when it came time to vote for the Emmy Awards. “You for Rhea?”

“You can’t eat your pudding if you don’t eat your meat! How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?”

Byerly’s: My friend Lee was in the market for a new home so we went through an open house. It was a bright, sunny day and when we went inside to look around Lee set his sunglasses on the kitchen counter. After taking a tour of the place we were getting ready to leave and the realtor, seeing the sunglasses on the counter, asked whose they were. I replied, “They’re buyer Lee’s”.

What else would a mountain be capped with if not snow?

Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage. A horse and carriage? Is that why, when you get married, they say you got hitched? And, if marriage is like a horse and carriage, who is the horse and who is the carriage? I think Julie would quickly say which part of the horse I am. Lovingly, of course.

Lyric of the day: “You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds! Stand still laddy!” – “Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)”, Pink Floyd

For Cryin' Out Louden

Westbound

I love Fridays. I’m sure I’ve mentioned that in prior posts but it’s worth repeating again. I love Fridays! And this morning on the way to Target to get on the bus “Friday I’m In Love” by the Cure came on the radio. Perhaps one day I’ll compile a list of Friday songs or songs about the days of the week. Wouldn’t that be terribly interesting?

Any of you smoke cigars?

There is a lady who rides the bus every afternoon, only the westbound ride, and she must have some terrible back issues. She can never sit for the entire ride and will usually stand hugging the seat in front of her. She brings her own pillow to sit on and never really seems to be comfortable. It must be terrible. I’ve had back issues but not like she must be going through. And she wears two pairs of pants – not sure what that’s about.

I usually sit on the left side of the bus on the way home, that way I’m not getting hot sitting in the sun. This is a repeat topic from a previous post so I’ll stop right there.

A seal walks into a club…

Champagne… not a huge fan…

I wonder if people driving in their cars can see me in the bus. Or is the glass dark enough and there’s enough of a reflection that they can’t see me? I can see them.

So, a high-end call girl sets you back as much as $5,000 an hour, huh? Boy, I remember in the OLD days…

Last night on Letterman’s Top 10 they had the top 10 rejected names for Dr. Seuss books. My favorite was “Obama’s in Pajamas”.

I heard SuperValu was changing their name to SuperDuperValu.

Lyric of the day: “Take a whiff on me, that ain’t no rose” – “Dead Skunk”, Loudon Wainwright

We Put the Fun in Fungus

OK, I had to quickly do this post. I have a site meter on the blog that tracks how many people visit the blog, how long they actually stick around (not long usually, not that I blame them), how they came to the site, etc. Well, I looked at that info tonight and I just had to share this with you.

I can look at a report that shows me if they found my blog via a search on the Internet, and usually its from people doing a search for something to do with toes or numbness (since the blog name is Crash 'n' Numb Toes) or Team In Training. But today two people found the blog by searching on the following words:

1) substance stinks in between toes

OK, I guess this is an understandable search. Everyone's feet stink, and maybe someone has some additional fungus issues they're dealing with. My guess is they didn't find any answers on the blog. But the one below is what REALLY got my attention...

2) sucked my nephews toes 11 years old

What kind of sick freak is this?! All I can say is "wow". I just had to share this with you.

OK, now you can read the latest post below.

And It Was a Coach Wallet

Eastbound

I haven’t had much time to blog the last few days. I’ve been busy with TNT stuff. I apologize to that one person who reads this smattering of nothingness.

I’ve been enjoying the warmer weather but it does have its unwanted side effects. For one, our backyard is turning into one large puddle which will in turn become a muddy mess for the dogs to run through. A bad part about it for Molson is that she may quickly run out of ice to eat. She’s probably going to get the shakes and start with the night sweats until she gets it out of her system. It won’t be pretty. On the plus side, no more frozen poop-sicles to eat.

I had lunch with a friend who shall remain nameless in order to protect her from unwanted ridicule. We meet up in the skyway and she informs me that she doesn’t have her wallet and thinks she left it on the trunk of her car when she went through the car wash the night before. What?! Not only was it not so smart to run your wallet through the car wash but it was equally not that smart of her to tell me – after all, it might wind up in someone’s blog where at least 2 people a day will read about it. For her sake at least I’m a nice guy and didn’t tell you it was Jamie.

I really hate it when the alarm goes off in the morning (or, turns on, or… whatever) and the song that is playing is one that you dislike and one that will be stuck in your head the whole day. I HATE that. It can really start the day off on the wrong foot.

Went to spin on Tuesday night where Coach Misty put us through a tough workout. My legs are killing me. Then Wednesday night I go swim with the tri teams and that doesn’t help the situation any. I guess I’m supposed to be drinking water or something in order to help my leg muscles to heal. Maybe I’ll try that.

Editor’s Note: The wallet was found in her car. I repeat, the wallet was found in her car. Please, go about your business - nothing to see here.

I’m trying to determine if the buple is a good couple. They could go either way I think. At times they seem like they’d be a fun couple to hang out with and other times they come across a little standoffish. I guess it’s hard to tell at 6:45 in the morning what someone is truly like. I probably shouldn’t let the fact that she brings on a different doll everyday and stabs it repeatedly with a knife sway my opinion. I’m sure they’re fun to hang out with.

Lyric of the day: “Boy, let me tell you what.” – “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, Charlie Daniels Band

Icicle Works

Westbound

It was a good weekend. On Saturday morning we had our Breakfast of Champions for the current TNT participants where we paid tribute to our honorees. The coaches and mentors made pancakes and sausage for everyone and we had a couple of speakers come in and talk about the progress that’s being made with the money we’re raising. It was a great event and I got to help make the pancakes. Well, I just poured the batter on the griddle, life ain’t nuthin’ but a funny, funny riddle.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

It’s nice to see that we’ll be warming up over the next couple of days. We had a couple of huge icicles hanging off the back of the house that I had to knock down yesterday. If I hadn’t I’m sure they would have fallen on their own and possibly broken our patio door window. They were HUGE I tell you, HUGE! Of course, I had to do it when Julie wasn’t home so that she wouldn’t yell at me for climbing up on the ladder. She wasn’t too pleased with me.

According to the billboard Kemps Plus is smart milk for smart kids. Good thing that wasn’t around when I was a kid – I would hate for my mom to have to try and explain to me why we’d never buy it. We’d be getting the Kemps Unique milk.

A majority of the people, if they are by themselves, will sit in the seat by the window. I tend to go back and forth, mostly depending on if I’m cold or not. If I’m cold I’ll sit by the window. “But Pat,” you say, “Isn’t it colder next to the window?” No, it’s not. The heat comes out by the window. And the sun is by the window. Both will make Pat hot. I think I should do an entire blog post in 3^rd person. Pat thinks that will be neat.

Red Rover, Red Rover send Georgie on over!

I wonder what it was like to listen to Howard Cosell do the Monday Night Football games. I never got the opportunity. I wonder if he was still alive if he’d have his own video game like John Madden does. Let’s ponder that for a moment….

There are some serious issues I should bring up, but I think I’ll need to do that in a weekly “serious” post. If I mix it in with this random nothingness it will get lost and overlooked.

Bands that also go by initials, or sometimes do. How many do you know? CCR, CSN, CSN&Y, DMB, NIN, ELO, STP, AWB, BTO, BOC, BST, EW&F, GNR, ICP, LRB, OMD, RHCP.

Lyric of the day: “Check out guitar George, he knows all the chords, but he’s strictly rhythm he doesn’t want to make it cry or sing” – “Sultans of Swing”, Dire Straits

I'm Done With Sergio

Eastbound

No Police song this morning when the alarm went off.

I like Fridays, and I don’t mean the restaurant. Well, I DO like Friday’s the restaurant but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I mean Fridays as in the day of the week, the day after Thursday, the day before the best day of the week – Saturday.

How weird would it be if the weekend wasn’t Saturday and Sunday but Tuesday and Wednesday or Wednesday and Thursday? Would your wall calendar still have Sunday in the first box and Saturday in the last one? Would the weekend then not be the weekend because your days off would be in the middle of the “week”? Or would the week on your wall calendar have Wednesday in the first box and Tuesday in the last box? Interesting.

Hot Pockets!

So, I was in a meeting with this woman at work yesterday and she was telling me about the excitement she had the day before. Apparently she was trying to set up a conference call for a meeting and the room was a video conference room so it had this fancy touch screen setup for dialing the phone and what not. She started to dial the phone and hit 9 for an outside line and then 1 to start the phone number but she couldn’t remember the rest of it. While looking in her notes for the phone number she kept her finger perched over the screen and was apparently hovering around the 1 and didn’t immediately realize she had pressed it a second time. When she went to type in the rest of the number she saw that she had pressed 911 but figured “After I got the outside line I just hit 11 so it didn’t call anybody.” Wrong. It went to the security desk and when they tried to call her back the phone was busy because she had started to dial the number for the conference call. Two minutes later there is a loud knock on the door and in come two security guards with a first aid kit and a defibrillator. Needless to say she was embarrassed. Too funny.

Westbound

A lady on the bus has now moved to her third different seat. I’m not sure what the issue was with the first two but perhaps she has found her home for the next 20 minutes. She’s blonde – maybe she things she’s Goldilocks and the first seat was too hard and the second seat was too soft, but the third seat is JUUUUUST RIIIIGHT.

I’m not on my usual bus this afternoon. Cyndi, our driver, has just informed us that we’re about 3 minutes behind schedule but that she’ll make it up on the highway. Ten seconds later she came back on and said “Don’t worry. I’m not going to speed.”

So, this weekend we move the clocks ahead one hour. I’ll like having that extra hour of daylight at night but I’m not going to like it being dark still when I get to work in the morning. It’s going to feel like December all over again. Plus, I don’t like losing that hour of sleep.

We got us some traffic.

John loves to play on his cello,
Songs that will make him mellow,
But it’s eating his lime green Jell-o,
That makes John a happy fellow.

Lyric of the day: “Have you seen my wig around?” – “Jane Says”, Jane’s Addiction

Officer, It's Like Deja Vu

Westbound

For the second morning in a row the alarm went off and a Police song was playing. Same exact time, same channel, different song. What are the odds?

The woman behind me on the bus has on headphones but I can still hear the music she’s listening to. Right now it’s the remake of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” – a remake which truly annoys me. The original is OK, but the remake stinks. Same with the Counting Crows version of “Big Yellow Taxi” – terrible.

I’ve decided to fundraise again this year for the Society. Once I have my web site set up I’ll be posting it here. Well, not right HERE, but somewhere on the blog page, so keep your eyes open. If you would be so generous and help me raise money to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their cancer research and patient aid programs I would be most grateful.

Speaking of fundraisers, we have two AWESOME fundraisers going on, and I’ll tell you about them now.

The first fundraiser is through the Minnesota Twins. For the Twins game on Saturday, May 3^rd against the Detroit Tigers I will be selling upper level reserved seats (behind home plate) for only $20 each. For every ticket I sell $8 goes to the Society. As if helping a great cause wasn’t enough to make you say “Hey Pat! I’ll buy some tickets!” you will ALSO be able to take part in a parade walking around the stadium – on the field! – while the players are warming up! How sweet is that?! It’s only available to people who buy tickets through the Society (and me!) so please let me know if you’d like to buy some tickets. The Twins have given us 500 tickets and they will probably go fast – I’m not the only one selling them – so let me know as soon as you can if you’re interested. I already have the tickets to give to you. Oh, and there will be a Society representative (probably a survivor or someone going through treatment now) that will be throwing out the first pitch! Way cool!

The second fundraiser we have going on is another dinner and silent auction at Gasthof. If you’ve been there before you know how great the food is and how much fun it is. If you haven’t been there then this is the perfect opportunity for you to try it out. The event will be held on Sunday, April 13^th and tickets are $25 each. When you come you’ll get an all-you-can-eat German dinner buffet, a glass of wine or beer, be able to listen to the strolling accordion players, and take part in the auction where you can bid on some great items! Last fall we had over 400 people attend and we made almost $8,000 on the silent auction alone! So come on out and enjoy a great Sunday afternoon at Gasthof!

Is it just me or did the week go by fast? Dunno, it seems like it did to me. I hope it was a good one for you.

Lyric of the day: “I woke last night to the sound of thunder, how far off I sat and wondered.” – “Night Moves”, Bob Seger

Her Pale White Dome

3/4/08

Tuesday morning things were very strange – almost Twilight Zone-ish. I at first thought it was very odd that I was the only one boarding, but I found it even MORE interesting that I was the only one on board.

I asked the driver if I was getting on the right one and she assured me I was indeed. I sat down and we were on our way. The driver wasn’t one that we usually have, and one of the most bizarre coincidences was that her name was Julie.

I looked behind me to make sure the buple (bus couple) wasn’t lying in the back seat and sure enough it was empty. I reclined the seat and relaxed, and before I knew it we were downtown. It was the best commute I had so far, so before I got out I gave her a kiss and was on my way.

3/5/08

This morning things are somewhat back to normal. The bus is a little more full than normal, although still no more than half full. The roads aren’t the best considering the snow but we still seem to be doing pretty good on speed. No egg-wheeled bus today.

One interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that few blondes ride the bus. I’m surveying the crowd and there isn’t a single one on board. The buple is here in their usual spot and we have another new couple. The woman from the new couple (we’ll call them the nuple) appears to be taking her first bus trip, or at least her first one on this route.

The gentleman with her is pointing things out along the way. He has a large nose, receding hairline and long sideburns. She has gray, somewhat thin hair, which appears almost like a wispy gray cloud encircling her pale white dome. Her hair is thin enough to see completely through to the scalp yet looks to have enough substance to adequately hold a No. 2 pencil.

Gary D. is our driver this morning as he is most mornings and is doing an admirable job in these conditions. We’re definitely running behind schedule (or a former co-worker pronounces it “shed-jewel”) but we’re doing better than I thought we would.

Lyric of the day: "Seems I'm not alone at being alone" - "Message in a Bottle", The Police

Tommy Crasher's Airplane

Eastbound

Since I’ve been sick the last few days I spent most of the weekend inside and in bed. We saw a couple of movies that were on TV (Tommy Boy, Airplane, some other movie with Chris Farley where his brother is running for political office or something like that (we never saw the end of that one), Wedding Crashers, etc.) and pretty much went through about a case of tissues.

Tommy Boy is a classic. There must have been some law passed that makes sure Tommy Boy is played a few times a week. I swear it’s always on, but it’s such a great movie that you don’t mind it. Chris Farley is hilarious.

Airplane was a movie that I have always liked and Julie doesn’t much care for. Perhaps that’s the kind of movie that women typically don’t like and men do. Kinda like the rock band Rush – I think I might have met one woman in my life who likes them. But, I digress. Or do I?

Wedding Crashers is also a great movie. Vince Vaughn cracks me up and what’s-her-face that plays his crazy girlfriend is a riot as well. Excellent movie.

Did any of you watch OBGYN? You know - Oprah’s Big Give yesterday night? I thought it was OK. I guess I understand the premise of the show – helping those in need – but I’m not sure they really figure out what would best serve the people they’re trying to help. Money isn’t always the answer. As the saying goes – Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him how to fish and he eats forever. Or, for as long as he has bait.

I think I’m on the egg-wheeled bus again. Oh, and the couple is back. Who is the couple? See my previous post. They’ve been riding this same bus with me quite a bit lately, always in the last row. Today there is a lot of talking going on, although I can’t make out (no pun intended) what they’re saying. It’s a quiet bus with much sleeping. The windows slowly frost up as we make our way towards downtown. Don’t lick the windows – trust me.

For J-Flo – the lyric of the day: “Act your age, not your shoe size.” – “Kiss”, Prince